CHAMPAIGN, Ill. .Almost 450 Illinois educators will be learning new computer and Internet skills this summer through weeklong institutes at 11 sites in Illinois.
The first week of the program known as "A Moveable Feast" and organized by the University of Illinois College of Education will be held June 18-22 at nine locations: Bloomington High School, Brookwood Junior High School (in Glenwood), Centralia High School, Danville High School, Lake Park High School (in Roselle), Mattoon High School, Quincy High School, Urbana High School and the UI College of Education.
The second week (July 9-13) will include the same sites minus Brookwood and Centralia along with St. Joseph-Ogden High School and Woodlawn High School (near Mount Vernon).
The institutes are now in their fourth year, having expanded from three sites and less than 150 registrants in 1998.
Participants will spend the week familiarizing themselves with various office, Web and multimedia resources, said Cathy Thurston, director of the UI colleges Office of Educational Technology. The main focus, however, will be on learning how to integrate technology into classes, and doing so in alignment with Illinois state learning standards.
Knowing more about the Web might also benefit teachers in meeting state guidelines for recertification, Thurston said. Much of future teacher training may be done online.
Some spots remain open for the institutes, especially in July. To register, one must be a teacher or administrator in grades K-12. For more information or to register, call (217) 333-2888, or check the Web site at http://feast.ed.uiuc.edu.
Sponsoring the institutes along with the UI and school districts are Apple Computer Corp., Casio Corp., Jasc Software, Microsoft Corp., Palm Inc. and State Farm Insurance.